Keenan's Story
by DiamondDragon14
Summary: Join Keenan Glass as he begins his rise from humble beginnings to National prominence.
1. Welcome! New Home in Beigoma!

My name is Keenan Glass, and I am moving with my mom to Japan from America. My uncle Zoro owned a chain of hobby shops, one of which was in a place called Beigoma City, and when he moved to Spain, he told us we were welcome to stay there and keep it running. On the way there, I looked at my phone and saw a photo that I took with my friend Thomas back in America a day before I moved. I was worried because he was one of my only friends. I didn't know a soul in Japan and I was constantly bullied back home because of how shy I was.

"Keenan, I know you're nervous", Mom started. "Moving is a big step, but soon you'll see it was the right decision", she assured me.

I just hope she's right.

A few hours later, while we were moving in, a woman holding a basket of various types of bread approached us, followed by three kids. The oldest of the three had teal, spiky hair, wore a red shirt under a blue and white vest, and a big smile on his face. The other two

"Hello, we're the Aoi family. We run the bakery across the way", she said. "I saw the moving truck and wanted to make a little something to welcome you to the neighborhood."

"How nice," Mom said, smiling. "We're the Glass family. I'm Eleanor, and this is my son, Keenan." I waved with a lopsided smile, but said nothing.

"I'm Chiharu Aoi, and these are my kids, Toko, Nika, and Valt." I assumed Valt was the oldest while Toko and Nika seemed like they were twins. Not identical twins, obviously, but they looked about the same age.

"Are you going to Beigoma Academy? Maybe we have the same class!" Valt gasped with realization. "Are you a blader?! You should join the Bey Club!"

Valt seemed like a good person, but I was still apprehensive because of him coming on too strong. Thankfully, the twins decided to chime in.

"C'mon, Valt! You're scaring him!" Toko chided.

"At least let them move in!" Nika added.

"Now kids, there's nothing wrong with being enthusiastic, especially when meeting new friends" Mrs. Aoi said.

"Although, to answer Valt's question, Keenan has indeed been enrolled in Beigoma Academy," Mom informed them.

She, then, turned to me before continuing. "I've also signed him up for an afterschool beyblade program called 'Young 5.'"

Oh yeah. That. Not that it wasn't obvious, but I'm pretty shy. Don't get me wrong, I love Beyblade! I'm just don't perform well with people watching me. Plus, I'm not that good at it anyway, so I'm not exactly looking forward to being around a group of people who were probably gonna leave me in the dust on the first day.

"Oh yeah! I heard of Y5!", Valt chimed in. "I thought about joining that, but I decided a Bey Club was better 'cause we could set our own training schedule." He had a point.

"Well, we can see your still unpacking, so we'll get out of your way.", Valt's mom said, guiding the kids away.

"Bye, Keenan! Bye, Keenan's mom!", the twins yelled.

"See you at school!", Valt shouted. I smiled politely, but was still unsure of calling myself his friend.

Soon we finished packing and were in the kitchen eating the bread that Mrs. Aoi gave us. It was amazing! I had to remember to tell Valt that his mom's and amazing cook.

"So, that Aoi family seemed nice.", Mom said, making conversation. "I guess…", I half-said, half-mumbled. Mom noticed my apprehension and reached over the table to hold my hand.

"Keenan", her voice seemed to plead for me to look her in the eyes, so I did. "We agreed that this move would be a new start for both of us."

I remembered how things were back in America. The pressure, the sleepless nights I spent training, the cold look he gave me everytime I lost. Leaving was the best thing that could've happened to me. To both of us.

"I know you feel like that Valt boy came on a little strong, but that's because he's so excited to meet you. Please make an effort with him."

I looked at my mom, and smiled. "Okay, mom."

I went to my room and sat on my bed, a black box facing me from my desk. I was on the phone with my friend Thomas, back in America.

"How ya settlin' in?", he asked.

"Okay, I guess.", I replied.

"Did you open the box yet?", he asked. Before I left, he gave me a black box and told me not to open it until I arrived at my new house.

"Not yet. Actually, I'm about to open it right now.", I admitted. I put my phone on speaker and opened the box. My eyes widened when I saw what was inside.

It was a brand new bey! Complete with launcher, beypointer, and holster!

"Whoa…" was all I could say as I gazed at the bey.

"Too stunned to speak, huh?" Thomas asked, amusement in his voice. "You don't need to thank me. I'm just the messenger. Trip and Mr. O'Hare put it together." he explained. Trip was another friend from America, and and Mr. O'Hare was the custodian at my old school. Both of them were geniuses, so making a bey was probably as difficult as taking a nap for them.

"Either way, it's amazing." I said sincerely, punctuating my sentence with a yawn. "Sorry. I gotta go." I apologized.

"Yeah, I get it. First day of your new school tomorrow right?" he inquired.

"Yeah. Say 'hi' to Trip and Mr. O'Hare for me." I requested.

"I will. Night." he said.

"Good night." I replied before hanging up.

With my full attention on the bey parts, I examined each one as I put the bey together and saw that they were all parts I've never seen before. The driver was orange. It had a wide conical tip. Upon further inspection, I discovered that the tip could rotate independently from the rest of the driver. Immediately, I knew this bey was going to be a stamina type. The disc had a balanced weight with one square protrusion on each side. I didn't think much of it, other than it could give my bey extra balance. The layer was the most interesting part of the bey. That was the case for all beys, but this layer was different. It was a fiery orange disc with nine blades, each blade white at the tip. What really stood out was the canine face i saw etched into it. As I stared at it, it seemed to stare back at me and somehow I felt that it was examining me, just as I was examining it. I was brought out of my musing by a long yawn. I decided to learn more about my new bey tomorrow. Little did I know, I wouldn't have to wait that long.


	2. A Strong Connection!

That night, I had a dream that I would never forget. It was sunset, and I found myself in a meadow of red flowers. The wind blew, lifting a few petals off the ground and into the air, several forming a large tornado. Suddenly, the pink sky turned a vibrant red as the red petals seemed to blear with the white wind, turning the tornado into a firestorm. Rather than be sacred however, I was intrigued, especially with how the fire didn't burn me. As the firestorm got bigger, through it I saw a familiar pair of eyes looking at me. Soon, the firestorm engulfed me, revealing to me what was looking at me from the inside. It was a large, nine tailed fox! It had fiery orange fur with white flames at the end of each tail.

"Are you ready?" the fox asked in a rough, growling voice.

"R-ready?" I asked, bewildered but still not scared.

"When our eyes first met, I sensed your hesitation." he explained. My eyes widened. He must've meant my hesitation to start beyblading again. "You've no need for doubt." he said, grabbing my attention. "All you need to do have faith. In my power, and in yours."

"My power?" I asked, confused. Before I could ask more questions, the fox's body turned into pure fire and started to dissipate as the red sky turned back to normal.

"Who are you?" I asked the disappearing fox.

"Hbkal Hfqprkb" The fox answered as he completely vanished. When I woke up, I looked to my bedside table and saw my new bey and I recognized the canine face and nine tails on it. Somehow I knew this bey was connected to the fox in my dream. Suddenly, for some reason I understood what the fox said before he vanished. It was the bey's name. His name.

"Kendo Kitsune."

I thought about my dream as I arrived at school. My first class was with Valt. I sat between him and a boy with bright red eyes and white hair. I recognized him as Shu Kurenai, one of the best bladers in Japan. Back in America, he made me learn about all the best bladers in every nation. He seemed especially interested in Shu. After class, Valt introduced us and told me that they knew each other since they were little. I was slighty surprised by that. Shu was known for being cool and collected, while Valt was loud and energetic. It was actually kind of touching that they were friends at all, let alone since they were little kids.

I saw Valt again during gym period. He was with his little brother and sister, and a few other guys. One guy was tall with blonde hair, a black coat worn like a cape, and a giant fan. The other guy had long, spiky black hair, a green coat (worn like an actual coat) and a puppet on each hand. They were all around a bey stadium when I approached them.

"Hey Keenan!" Valt shouted, waving me over.

"Hey Valt." I replied. Valt turned to the other guys. "Guys, this is Keenan Glass." he said.

"He just moved in across the street from our place." Toko chimed in.

"He's new here at school." Nika added. The tall guy spoke up first.

"Well, nice to meet ya!" he said, putting his hand forward. "The name's Rantaro Kiyama. You can call me Honcho." he said as we shook hands. "Nice to meet you, too...Honcho." I said, feeling slightly awkward. I turned to the puppeteer when I saw him turn away.

"Welcome to Beigoma Academy", he said with a goofy voice through the red puppet on his right hand.

"He's Besu and I'm Keru.", he said, giving a scratchy voice to Keru, the blue puppet on his left hand. Keru, then pointed to the person controlling him. "This guy's Ken Midori. Wherever he goes, we go." he asserted.

"We're kinda like his entourage.", Besu piped up. I chuckled, both amused by the puppets' personalities and Ken's ability to make them both talk in completely different voices, all while not moving his mouth at all.

"It's nice to meet you. All of you." I said, smiling.

Valt and I talked about beys. He introduced me to his bey, Victory Valtryek, and I introduced him to Kendo Kitsune. Rantaro and Ken showed me their beys, too. Raging Roktavor and King Kerbeus. Valt, then, told me that he was about to bey battle with a guy named Daigo Kurogami, his next opponent in the District Tournament with a bey called Dark Doomscizor. As if on cue, he arrived. He had short, spiky black hair adorned with skull beads, a red headband, and wore a black and purple jacket. Despite his kind attitude towards Valt, he seemed, in a word, dark. Just like his bey. When he battled, however he revealed that the whole "nice guy" routine was just to get the drop on his competition. Even going as far as bursting Valtryek in his hand!

"Oops, made a mess. Wanna clean that up?", he snarked, carelessly dropping Valtryek's pieces to the ground. Valt was understandably upset.

"Daigo! I'll never forgive you for this!" he shouted as Daigo walked away.

As mom drove me to Young 5, I thought about what happened at school. My mind immediately flashed back to my days in America. I lost constanly and was constantly picked on. He didn't make it any better with all the pressure he put on me.

"Do you enjoy embarassing me, Keenan? I sing your praises every chance I get, only for you to fail misreably and constantly. Does making me look bad somehow make you feel better about yourself. Knowing how successful I am and how much of a failure you are, I think I have my answer."

Nothing I did was ever enough. Not the countless hours I spent training instead of studying. Not the intensive research I did on prominent bladers. Not even the few battles I actually won were enough for me to even earn so much as a smile from him.

"We're here!", Mom announced, bringing me back to the present. "You okay? You looked like you were in another world." I took a deep breath and looked mom dead in the eyes.

"I'm okay." I said.

Mom and I gave each other kisses on the cheek as I got out of the car. As the car left I walked toward the Young 5 building with Kendo Kitsune and my launcher/beypointer in tow. Mom said moving here meant a new start. I guess I'll see if she's right.


	3. The Winged Horse! Pierce Pegasus!

I entered the building and the first thing I saw was a room full of beystadiums. I assumed this was the main training area. Just outside the training area was Registration, where I saw other bladers put their beypointers into a machine and had their pictures taken. I went to fall in line with them, when someone huge pushed his way in front of me.

"Umm…" I was about to object.

"What?" the big guy demanded, his voice a deep rumble that shook me to my core. I suddenly found myself without a voice. Not only was he big, I could see his massive muscles through his brown jacket. "That's what I thought." he grunted, turning back around. That would've been the end of it, but a high, raspy voice cut in.

"Hey! The line ends back there!"

Me and the big guy in front of me looked back to see a...girl! She had wild, electric blue hair, magenta eyes, and she wore a sky blue sleeveless top and sky blue shorts, and she had blue and white striped wristbands. The big guy chuckled, seemingly amused.

"Well. Isn't this adorable?", he said before roughly pushing me to get my attention. "Who's this? Your cheerleader?", he asked before laughing again.

"What're ya pushing him for?! You're the one who cut the line!" the girl fired back.

This was getting out of hand. I could sense a rivalry brewing between these two and I was literally getting caught in the middle of it.

"Hey, let's keep the line moving and save the battles for the stadium, okay?", the guy at registration said, grabbing our attention. Thank goodness it was the big guy's turn to register. He put his beypointer into the machine and it took his picture. He went to the training area, but not before shooting one last glare over his broad shoulder. I gulped nervously before flinching as I felt a hand grab on to my shoulder. I looked behind me to see the girl smiling at me.

"Hey, don't worry about that guy. He's probably all brawn and no brains." she said confidently. I gave a small, half-hearted smile back.

"Next." the registration guy said.

After the girl and I went through registration, we walked to the training area together. "The name's Percia Sokudo.", she said before pulling out a sky blue bey that seemed to match her perfectly. "And this is Pierce Pegasus!" I looked closer at the bey and saw that the layer bore the image of the head of a white horse, its mane actually being one of its three blades. The other two blades were, of course, the horses wings. "So how about you?", she asked. "You gonna tell me your name, or am I gonna have to call you 'Orange Guy'?" I let out a shy laugh.

"I'm Keenan Glass.", I said as I showed Percia Kitsune. "This is Kendo Kitsune."

"Sweet!", she complimented, causing me to blush. "Young 5 is the premeire training program for bladers everywhere!", she explained. "People have gone to the World League after training here! Stick with me, Keenan, and you will too!" I admired how passionate she was. I always assumed that girls didn't like Beyblade, and that's why so few played.

The sound of a whistle being blown caught our attention. We saw a guy I assumed to be the trainer wave everyone over. "Alright everyone, gather round! I'm Coach Ryder and welcome to Young 5!" he announced. "Anyone know why we call it Young 5?" Percia immediately raised her hand.

"Because training here will give us a chance to be strong enough to face off against the Big 5?", she shouted.

"Exactly! Especially the 'chance' part. All of you will get stronger training here, but only the top 5 will represent Y5 in the National Tournament Team Battles! Where, if you make it far enough, you'll face 2 members of the Big 5 right here in Japan! Anyone know who those 2 bladers are?" Percia shot her hand up again.

"Xander Shakadera and Lui Shirosagi!", she shouted again.

"Right again!", Coach Ryder said. "What's your name?"

"Percia Sokudo, sir!" she said, beaming.

"Percia, huh? We don't get many girl bladers here.", Ryder stated.

"Well, that's about to change!" she said. "Ever notice how there are like 10 guy bladers for every 1 or 2 girl bladers?", she asked, rhetorically I presume. "Well, once I make it to the Nationals, it'll inspire other girls to become bladers knowing they can do the same!". Her declaration was met with light applause and even a cheer or two. I applauded as well. Beyblade should be more open to girls. No one said it was, nor had to be a male exclusive sport, and I was interested to see how good she was. Clearly she must be pretty good if she wants to inspire others to follow her lead.

Suddenly, one voice cut through the crowd. "Don't you think that if so few girls are bladers, it's probably for a good reason?" a familiar voice asked rhetorically. The big guy in the brown jacket shoved his way through the crowd to get a clear view of Percia, who met his overconfident smirk with a defiant glare.

"Maybe I do! And maybe that reason is guys like you thinking they own this sport!" she argued.

"You can say that you'll be a great blader. Anyone can." he said, before looking over at me. "Even him." he said, making a few people laugh. Well, there goes my confidence.

"Maybe you'd like to put your beyblade where your mouth is, tough guy!", Percia challenged, getting the big guy's attention.

Coach Ryder chimed in. "Looks like we got our first exhibition match!", he announced. "The way we do things here is, first we do an opening exhibition match, then the classroom portion, then free training, then lunch while we watch the District Tournament, and finally the closing exhibition match before everyone goes home for the day." he explained.

"Then it all works out! Get ready to battle, tough guy!", Percia declared.

"My name is Miguel Del Toro." the big guy said before revealing his bey. The layer was a deep brown and looked like an attack type layer. "This Mad Minoboros will put you in your place."

Everyone gathered around the center stadium where Percia and Miguel were squaring off. "Survivor Finishes and Ringout Finishes are worth one point.", Coach Ryder announced. "Burst Finishes are worth two points. First to two points wins. Bladers, inspect your opponents' beys." Percia and Miguel briefly swapped beys to inspect them before taking their places at each side of the stadium. "Percia Sokudo vs. Miguel Del Toro! First Battle, ready...set!"

Then everyone, myself included, said the famous phrase. "3! 2! 1! Let it...RIP!" Percia and Miguel launched their beys into the stadium and the battle was on. Pegasus rapidly circled along the center ring of the stadium while Minoboros jettisoned around the stadium near the outer rim.

"Charge, Minoboros!" Miguel roared. I noticed that its spin was unstable as it moved in to attack Pegasus.

"Run hard, Pegasus!", Percia yelled. "Knock him out with Race Launch!" Pegasus continued to race around the center of the stadium, easily knocking Minoboros away once it enters its path. The impact caused Minoboros to tip over, its layer scraping the stadium floor.

"It's over.", a rough voice said simply. I looked beside me to see a guy with long white hair, dark blue eyes that never looked away from the stadium, and six stripe-like markings on his face. "The battle is already decided." he clarified. I looked back at the stadium just in time to see Minoboros come to a stop.

"Pierce Pegasus with a Survivor Finish!", Coach Ryder announced. "Percia Sokudo gets one point! The score is 1-0!"

"Yes!', Percia cheered, picking up her bey. Miguel grumbled as he did the same.

"Miguel planned to use Minoboros' unstable as an advantage, but it ended up being a disadvantage.", the guy next to me said. My eyes widened at the accuracy of his observation. Who was this guy?

"2nd Battle!", Coach Ryder announced. As Percia and Miguel took their positions, I noticed something different about Percia.

"She's tilting her launcher.", the guy next to me and I said in unison. I glanced at him and saw him looking at me the same way he looked at the stadium in the first battle. He seemed to be...studying me. We were broken out of our thoughts when the battle started.

"Ready...set!"

We all counted down. "3! 2! 1! Let it...RIP!" Pegasus and Minoboros were launched into the stadium, the former moving in a looping pattern that made it travel around the stadium clockwise.

"Let's go! Crash Launch!", Percia shouted. Pegasus was on a head on collision course with Minoboros.

"Oh, no you DON'T!", Miguel bellowed. Minoboros and Pegasus narrowly missed each other.

"Pegasus, chase him!", Percia commanded. Pegasus followed Minoboros, colliding with it and sending both beys to either sides of the stadium.

"Now, Minoboros!", Miguel roared. "Hatchet Strike!" Out of nowhere, Minoboros leapt across the stadium straight for Pegasus.

"Not on my watch!" Percia shouted. "Run hard, Pegasus!" Pegasus headed straight toward where Minoboros was going to land. "Faster! Go even Faster!" Pegasus just narrowly escaped being crushed by Minoboros, but it was about to hit the wall of the stadium!

"It's too fast!", I thought. "If it crashes into the wall at that speed, Pegasus will burst on impact!"

"Now! FLYYYYYY!" Percia yelled, a blue aura surrounding her. Pegasus hit the wall and actually launched into the air! Suddenly, Pegasus got the same aura as Percia did! "GO! FLIGHT LAUNCH!" Pegasus touched down onto the stadium, and, with a burst of speed and power, smashed into Minoboros, bursting it instantly.

"What?!", Miguel boomed. "Peak Pegasus: Burst Finish!", Coach Ryder called out.

"2 points go to Percia, which means Percia Sokudo wins with a score of 3-0!"

Percia picked up her bey and jumped for joy. "Yeah!", she shouted. I smiled, happy for her victory, though my smile was immediately replaced by a look of fear as I saw Miguel stomp toward her. And he was not. Happy. Percia noticed his enraged expression and countered it with a confident (if slightly cocky) smirk. This only seemed to make Miguel angrier.

"This. Isn't. Over." , he thundered before stomping his way through the crowd.

"Looks like I got a new rival!", Percia said, approaching me.

"That sure was something!", Coach Ryder said. "Good opening battle!" Coach Ryder started clapping, prompting everyone else to do the same. Except for Miguel, I'm assuming. "Okay. Let's get to the classrooms!" The applause immediately devolved into groans and complaints, but to be honest, I was excited! I know, I'm a nerd! Coach Ryder blew his whistle and, as all the bladers filed out of the training area, I noticed the guy with long white hair seemingly vanished. Who was he?


	4. Training Time! New Rivals!

The classroom period was surprisingly enjoyable. Percia and I sat next to each other and 10 minutes into the lesson, she fell asleep. I was torn between waking her up and letting the teacher handle it. I decided to elbow her gently.

"Let it rip!"

Fortunately, that was enough to wake her up. Unfortunately, she was dreaming about launching her beyblade at the time. I came out of that class with a bruise on my upper lip. I forgave her since I could've just let her sleep, but she thanked me for making sure she didn't miss anything.

We sat together at lunch, which was extended due the District tournament round between Valt and Daigo kept ending in a tie. The match went into its 5th round when people finished their lunches and started battling. I saw that guy again. With the long white hair and stripe markings on his face. He was at a stadium, but he wasn't battling. He was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed as his bey spun in the center of the stadium. It was a white bey that seemed to glitter as it spun.

"Keenan, come check this out!"

I glanced over my shoulder at the white haired blader before following Percia's voice. I joined Percia in a small crowd gathered around a stadium where a firey red bey was struggling against a brown bey.

"C'mon, Firedrake! Knock 'im down!", said one of the bladers. He was a slightly muscular guy with firey red hair and he wore a red vest over a golden yellow shirt. I assumed he was the owner of the red bey he called "Firedrake". He was up against a massive guy who was about as big as Miguel, except he wasn't just muscular, he was also...Umm...he had a large..."midsection". He wore a white shirt and blue overalls and had short yet spiky brown hair. He glared hard at the stadium where the brown bey I assumed was his stayed strong even through constant assault from Firedrake. The battle ended with Firedrake wobbling heavily before bursting.

"Aw, man!" the red haired blader groaned. "I hate that!" The much larger blader picked up the brown bey that seemed tiny in his beefy hands.

"Nice job, Ursinor.", he said to the bey, his glare quickly replaced by a look of fondness and contentment. His voice was deep and gruff, with a slight southern drawl. He then turned from his attention to his opponent. "You did pretty good, too.", he said, putting his hand on the other blader's shoulder.

"Yeah, well next time, you're goin' down!" the Firedrake blader said. The Ursinor blader laughed loudly. "I'm lookin' forward to it!", he said with a genuine smile.

I was legitimately surprised at how friendly he was, despite his expression during the battle. The crowd dissipated as I followed Percia as she walked towards the two bladers.

"That was a pretty awesome battle, I gotta say.", she said sincerely. "You two are pretty solid bladers."

"Aw, shucks.", the Ursinor blader said, rubbing the back of his neck. The Firedrake blader spoke up.

"Hey, you're that girl who totally slammed that Miguel del Toro!" Percia practically glowed with confidence.

"The one and only!", she boasted.

"Percia Sokudo, right? The name's Fieron Kasai.", the Firedrake blader said before showing us his bey. "This is Flash Firedrake!" It was a bright red bey with two pairs of dragon wings and the head of a dragon between each pair.

"Call me Ukuma. Ukuma Kasshoku." the Ursinor blader stated before showing his bey as well. "Meet Ultra Ursinor." Ursinor was a brown bey with black spots similar to the paw pads of a bear. Adding to the bear similarity were the 10 claws it had pointing in the direction of its rotation. Percia shook the bladers' hands as they introduced themselves, when Ukuma noticed me. "Hey there, little fella!", he said, showing his surprisingly sharp teeth in a smile. "Is Percia here a friend o' yours?"

"Uhh….", I, for lack of a better term, said before simply nodding my head.

"That's Keenan Glass.", Percia said as I waved awkwardly. "Hey!", Percia piped up. "You showed us what your beys can do! How about we show you what our beys can do!"

"Alright.", Ukuma said.

"I'm game!", Fieron agreed.

"How about it, Keenan?", Percia asked, giving me an encouraging smile. I took out Kitsune and looked at him. His red eyes seemed to glow. I must have been looking for longer than I thought, because I heard a loud snap.

"You okay, dude?", Fieron asked.

"Uh...yeah!", I assured.

"Cool. So are we doing this, or what?", Percia asked, holding Pegaswift in her hand.

"Let's do it!", I said.

The battle between Valt and Daigo went into its 9th battle as Percia and I took our places at the stadium.

"Ref! Called it!", Fieron yelled as he took the referee's position at the stadium. "Inspect your opponent's beys!"

While I knew those were the rules, I felt slightly uncomfortable having to give up Kitsune, even if it was for a moment. Percia and I swapped beys and I examined Pegaswift. Pegaswift's disc was a Ring disc and her driver was a free rotating tip, similar to Kitsune's, but it was rubber. This driver must have been the key to Pegaswift's speed. We gave each other back our beys and readied our launchers. Since I had a long winder launcher, I had a choice between control with a forehand grip and power with a backhand grip. Since Pegaswift was an attack type, my Stamina type Kitsune was at a disadvantage. I decided to go for a backhand grip to catch her by surprise.

"First battle!", Fieron announced. "Ready...Set!"

"3! 2! 1! Let it...RIP!!!" Kitsune and Pegaswift raced around the edge of the stadium. Pegaswift stayed on an even path while Kitsune slowly but surely spiraled closer to the center.

"Pegaswift, attack!", Percia called out. The two beys met in the center and to my surprise, Pegaswift was the one knocked back!

"Woah! Rejected!", Fieron said, impressed.

"That Kitsune must have one heavy disc!", Ukuma deduced.

"Pegaswift, one more time!", Percia persisted. Pegaswift kept attacking Kitsune, but nothing seemd to move him. If anything, Pegaswift was the one that kept getting sent flying. I couldn't believe it. I might actually win this!

"Keep spinning, Kitsune!", I cheered. As if energized by my words, Kitsune gained a firey orange glow. Pegaswift's attacks seemed to do less damage than ever as Kitsune spun rapidly. Pegaswift finally slowed to a stop.

"Woah.", Percia whispered. "I lost?"

"Kendo Kitsune with a Survivor Finish!", Fieron announced. "Keenan Glass gets one point!" I actually won my first battle!

"I gotta admit…", Percia said. "I did not expect that."

I picked up Kitsune and smiled. "We just need one more point, okay?", I whispered.

"Hey, you talk to your bey, too?", Percia asked from across the stadium.

"Uhh...yeah…", I said. I started blushing.

"Hey, it's okay!", Percia reassured. "I talk to my bey all the time!"

"So do I.", Ukuma added.

"Seriously?! I thought I was the only one!", Fieron exclaimed.

I felt a lot better knowing that about my….friends?

"C'mon! Lets start the 2nd battle!", Fieron urged.

Percia and I went back to our places around the stadium. As we took our positions, I noticed that Percia tilted her launcher the same way she did in her battle with Miguel. If I rmember right, this made her bey loop around the outer area of the stadium. So, I went with a forehand grip for control. If I could land Kitsune smack in the center, Pegaswift would waste energy without landing a single hit!

"2nd battle!", Fieron announced. "Ready? Set!"

"3! 2! 1! Let it….RIP!!!"

As planned, Kitsune made it it the center instantly, while Pegaswift looped around the stadium just like i thought it would. No contact was being made….yet.

"Wait, what?!", Percia shouted.

"Pegaswift's everywhere but where it needs to be.", Ukuma mused.

"Keenan must've predicted where it would go. Cool!", Fieron said. I tried not to blush and focus on the battle.

"C'mon, Pegaswift! Get in there!", Percia said as Pegaswift changed course, or rather veered off course. The blue attack type drifted and zoomed toward Kitsune, only to be knocked sideways and move toward the stadium wall.

"Go for it!", Percia shouted. That's when I remembered….her Flight Launch! In the battle with Miguel Pegaswift bounced off of the wall up into the air. It used gravity and the momentum of the fall to increase its speed and power. Pegaswift bounced off of the wall, but instead of flying straight up into the air, it went toward Kitsune.

"Oh no!", Percia said. At that moment, everything seemed to move in slow motion. I was suddenly overcome with a burst of energy.

"Now!", a familiar growling voice shouted as a gazed at Kitsune.

Out of a rush of pure adrenaline, I thrusted my hand toward the stadium, palm forward.

"NOW!", I shouted. "KITSUNE!!!"

Kitsune spun rapidly, glowing with an even brighter aura than in the first battle, and when Pegaswift collided with it….

CRASH!

Pegaswift was sent flying out of the stadium once again. I couldn't believe it! I won! I looked around at everyone and they were just as shocked as I was.

"No. Way.", Percia uttered, stunned.

Shaking his head, Fieron recovered from the shock as well. "Kendo Kitsune with another Ringout finish!", he announced. "Keenan Glass wins one more point and wins with a score of 2-Zip!"

I picked up Kitsune and looked at...him. I know it's weird to call Kitsune a him, but I swear I heard his voice during the battle, just like I heard his voice in my dream. Once I saw an opportunity to win, I put all my trust in Kitsune, and he came through.

"Victory Valtryek! 2 points with a Burst Finish!"

Ukuma, Fieron, Percia, and I looked up at the monitor to see that Valt won his battle against that Daigo guy.

Soon, tt was almost time to go home. Everyone had gathered around for the closing exhibition match.

"Alright, everyone!", Coach Ryder announced. "Last match of the first day! Let's make it count! Who wants to step up?"

Several hands were raised. "How...about….", Ryder trailed off before pointing to someone. "You! You seem pretty tough!"

Everyone followed Coach's gaze to see an intense-looking white haired blader emerge from the crowd. He was the same blader I saw blading alone at lunch and observing Percia's battle against Miguel with me.

"What's your name, tough guy?", Coach Ryder asked.

"Wenru.", the blader said plainly. "Wenru Sun."

Then, it was Wenru's turn to point to a blader. The blader he pointed at had light blue eyes, orange hair in a short pony tail with white highlights, an orange shirt under a white vest, white pants and white shoes.

"Keenan Glass." Wenru barked. "I challenge you to a battle. Prove yourself!"


	5. Facing the White Tiger!

"Keenan Glass! I challenge you to a battle! Prove yourself!"

I stood there like a deer in headlights as Wenru Sun pointed to me. What did he mean "prove yourself"?

"Keenan's not afraid of you!", I heard Percia shout.

"You got this!", Fieron added.

"Go get 'im!", Ukuma chimed in.

"Looks like we got our closing match!", Coach Ryder announced. "Wenru, Keenan, to the stadium!"

Wenru and I did as told. I was nervous. Actually, I wasn't nervous. I was terrified. Battling among (potential) friends was one thing, but public battles with a crowd of spectators was another story.

"Since this is the last battle of the day, we'll make this a three point match.", Coach Ryder said. "Bladers, inspect your opponents' beys."

As I inspected Wenru's bey, I saw that it had claws. Metal claws.

"His name….", Wenru began, getting my attention, "...is Warrior Whiger." He immediately took back his bey and gave me Kitsune.

"Bladers, take your marks.", Coach Ryder commanded. Once we did, I looked across the stadium to see Wenru staring at me. Scratch that. He was glaring at me. His eyes were completely different from when I first saw him. They used to be dark blue. Now, they were a silvery white that seemed to glow.

"First Battle. Ready? Set!", Ryder shouted.

"3! 2! 1! Let it….RIP!!!"

Wenru and I launched our beys into the stadium and Kitsune made it to the center….only for Whiger burst him in one hit!

"Warrior Whiger with a Burst Finish! Wenru Sun gets 2 points!", Ryder announced. "The score is 2 - 0!"

I. Was. In. Shock. I couldn't even fight back! I stood there motionless, staring down at the stadium where my Kitsune lay in pieces.

"Wake. Up.", I heard Wenru say. I immediately reassembled my bey and looked up to see that he wasn't happy. Despite his eyes being normal again, he was still glaring at me. I knew that look anywhere. Disappointment.

"You're a disapointment to the Glass family name. You don't deserve a bey."

I could still hear his cold, emotionless voice. I felt the same way I did back in America. I could feel everyone's eyes on me, judging me, taunting me, waiting for me to mess up so they can laugh at me.

"Ready? Set!"

"I can't believe he caved so easily!"

"3!"

"Talk about not living up to the hype."

"2!"

"Go and get a better bey from your daddy, why don't ya?"

"1!"

"It's probably for the best that you leave. There's nothing for you here."

"Let it….RIP!!!!"

I couldn't do it. No matter how hard I tried, i couldn't bring myself to launch my bey with all of those horrible thoughts plauging my mind. I flinched as I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to see Coach Ryder with a sympathetic look on his face.

"How about we pick this up tomorrow?", he asked. As tears filled my eyes, all I could do was nod in agreement.

"Same time tomorrow, everyone!", he said to everyone. "Go home and rest up!"

I put my bey in my pocket and ran out of Y5 as fast as I could. I hung my head as tears finally fell from my eyes. I couldn't face Percia, Fieron, and Ukuma after this. How could I? They were the first bladers who ever rooted for me and look what happened. Once I got through the main doors I ran into someone.

"Keenan, what's wrong? What happened?", my mother asked. I looked up at her and practically fell into her arms. I was a mess. My first day in Japan was a complete wash. For the whole drive back home, I could just imagine how pathetic I must have looked. How disappointed in me my friends must have been, if I can even call them that anymore. Above all else, one thought stood apart.

I don't deserve a bey.


	6. Burning Up! Fox Firestorm!

That night, I had another bizarre dream. I was in the same red flower field I met Kitsune in, when the clouds suddenly turned grey. Rain started to fall as the red flowers faded away, leaving behind cold hard ground. That's when I saw Kitsune, but he looked different. The pouring rain made his once firey orange fur look brown and muddy, it also snuffed out the white flames on his tails. Overall, he just looked….defeated. I wanted to go see what was wrong, when suddenly, I heard roaring and the sound of rapid footfalls against the ground. Following the noise, I looked around to see where it was coming from, and when I least expected it, I saw a huge white tiger approach me! I tried backing away slowly, but that only seemed to enrage it. I started running and he charged after me, roaring louder and louder as I continued running. Soon, the roaring started to sound increasingly distant. I looked back and saw that he wasn't chasing me anymore. But i also found out that it was be cause he was going after Kitsune! Suddenly my body moved as if it had a mind of its own, racing towards Kitsune with surprising speed. I saw the white tiger raise its seemingly metallic claw at Kitsune as Kitsune simply sat there looking helpless. I had to help him! I finally made it between Kitsune and the white tiger, when….

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

I woke up to the sound of my alarm clock. I looked at it and saw that I was almost late for school!

"Keenan! It's time to go! Are you ready?", my mom yelled from downstairs. Yeah. Today was gonna be fun.

(Later at school)

As I walked down the hall to my next class, I couldn't get that dream out of my head. What would've happenedv if I hadn't jumped in? What did that white tiger want? Why did Kitsune look so forlorn? I was so lost in thought that bumped into someone.

I looked up and saw one of Valt's friends; Shu.

"Sorry", I mumbled distractedly.

"Not your fault.", Shu responded. I was a bit suprised at how genuine he sounded. "It's 'Keenan', right?"

"Keenan Glass.", I confirmed. "And you're Shu Kurenai. I watch all of the National Tournaments around the world. You're really good."

"Thanks", Shu replied with a small smile. "You're a blader too, right? Valt told me you're in that training program for the next Big 5."

I hesitated again at Shu's question. Talking about Beyblade reminded my of my battle with Wenru. Plus, I was still thinking about the nightmare I had. Was that tiger supposed to be….?

"Hey! You okay?", Shu asked, bringing me out of my reflection. "You spaced out for a second."

"Did I? Sorry.", I said. "You said you want to battle me, right?"

"Yeah", Shu replied. "It's cool if you're not up for it."

"No! I mean 'Yes!' I mean….Later today at the gym?" I asked, hoping I didn't embarass myself too much.

"Sure.", Shu answered, much to my surprise. The bell rang for class and we went our separate ways for the time being.

Later that day, on my way to the gym, all I could think about was my battle, with Shu and with Wenru. I went to the stadium where Valt, Rantaro, Ken, and Daigo were all waiting. Valt greeted me as enthusiastically as ever. I gave a halfhearted smile as I walked towards him. Valt volunteered to be the referee once Shu arrived and we took our places. The battle was surprisingly close, but Shu ultimately won with a Burst Finish after unleashing a counter attack called "Counter Break". I was mortified. I lost my friends at Y5, and now I lost my friends at Beigoma Academy! I stayed there on my knees as the bell rang. Tears threatened to fall from my eyes when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up and saw Shu looking at me and holding Kitsune towards me.

"Sorry for wasting your time.", I moaned, taking my bey and turning to leave. Shu's hand remained on my shoulder as he turned me to look at him.

"Keenan.", he started, his intense red eyes meeting my meek blue eyes. "What does Beyblade mean to you?"

I averted my gaze as I thought about his question. "I….I don't know.", I said, ashamed.

"Then, listen to your bey.", Shu said, not missing a beat. "Believe in him. And yourself."

Shu left while I stood in the gym in awe. "All you need to do is have faith. In my power, and yours."

When I got to Y5, I was thinking about what Shu said. And what Kitsune said. I thought about the battles I had so far and realized that the only battle I won, against Percia, was the only battle where I believed I could win. I fell in line with all the other bladers as Coach Ryder arrived on the scene.

"Alright! Today's opening exhibition match is gonna be a grudge match!" Coach Ryder announced. "3 points for the win!"

The bladers murmured in excitement as I took a calming breath.

"Wenru, Keenan, step up!", Coach Ryder said, and we approached the stadium. Wenru was just as intense as he always is. I took another calming breath and looked at Kitsune.

"First Battle!" Coach Ryder announced. Wenru and I took our positions. I went with a underhand grip for more power.

"Ready? Set!"

3! 2! 1! Let it….RIP!!!!

Whiger circled the stadium before clashing with Kitsune in the center.

"Kitsune! Hold your ground!", I shouted. Kitsune and Whiger broke away and Wenru made his move.

"Whiger, attack!", Wenru commanded. A white aura surrounded Whiger as it smashed into Kitsune, bursting it immediately.

"Warrior Whiger! 2 points with a Burst Finish!", Coach Ryder declared. "The score is 0-2!"

I reassembled Kitsune and held him tightly in my hands. I took another calming breath and readied my launcher once again. I went with a forehand grip this time. Kitsune is a stamina type, so Whiger, despite being a balance type, has an advantage in attack power. I'll let him come to me this time.

"2nd Battle!", Coach Ryder announced. "Ready? Set!"

3! 2! 1! Let it….RIP!!!!

Kitsune went straight for the center as Whiger circled the stadium once again, but Wenru was waiting for that.

"Thanks for making it easy.", Wenru said, to my surprise. A white aura surrounded him as he made a slashing motion with his hand. "Whiger, Warrior Rush!"

Whiger barreled towards Kitsune, a white aura surrounding it, manifesting into a white tiger. Just like in my dream!

"Kitsune, no matter what happens, just keep spinning!", I shouted. I wasn't going to lose to Wenru! Not again! An orange aura surrounded Kitsune. The two beys clashed. Kitsune wasn't moved by Whiger's attack, but Whiger kept pushing.

"Kitsune! End it!", I commanded. In a burst of orange light, Kitsune knocked Wiger away, causing it to slow to a stop.

"Kendo Kitsune! 1 point with a Survivor Finish! The score is 1-2!", Coach said.

I smiled and picked up Kitsune before I remembered something; my battle against Shu. I said it was close because Shu's bey, Storm Spryzen, kept getting repelled by Kitsune's dimagnetic disc. Maybe I can use that to tie the score!

"Keenan.", Wenru called out. I quickly looked up to see Wenru looking at me. "One more point and I win. You know that, right?"

Was he testing me? "You aren't ready yet." Is that why he said that? I furrowed my brows and nodded. Now I had to win. Test or not, I'm not losing again.

"3rd Battle!", Coach Ryder shouted. "Ready? Set!"

3! 2! 1! Let it….Rip!

Just like before, Whiger circled the stadium and Kitsune went to the center.

"I'm ending this now.", Wenru declared, a white aura surrounding him. "Warrior Rush!"

Whiger zoomed toward Kitsune, but I was ready this time.

"Kitsune…." I thrust my palm to the stadium. "FOX FIRESTORM!!!"

Kitsune's aura exploded into a tornado of fire just as Whiger made contact. Whiger was effortlessly knocked away.

"Whiger, get back in there!", Wneru commanded. Whiger quickly changed direction and started a barrage, but it didin't work, as it had lost too much stamina.

"NOW!", I shouted, adrenaline coursing through me. "GO KITSUNE!"

Kitsune manifested from the orange tornado in all his firey glory! There was a flash of light and the sound of a bey bursting. I stared in belief as Whiger laid in peices before Kitsune, who was just barely spinning. There was no noise except for Kitsune hitting the stadium as it finally slowed to a stop. Then, all that could be heard was stunned silence. Waving a hand toward me, Coach Ryder broke the silence.

"Kendo Kitsune with a Burst Finish! 2 points! Keenan Glass wins the match with a score of 3-2!"


	7. Monster Match Sneak Peek

All that could be heard was stunned silence. Waving a hand toward me, Coach Ryder broke the silence.

"Kendo Kitsune with a Burst Finish! 2 points! Keenan Glass wins the match with a score of 3-2!"

My heart soared! I actually won! I felt like jumping for joy when someone beat me to the punch.

"Yeah, Keenan! I knew you could do it!" I turned to see Percia running toward me, followed by Fieron and Ukuma.

"You're the man, Keenan!", Fieron exclaimed, slapping my shoulder. I smiled when I suddenly lost all breath as Ukuma smacked my back. HARD.

"Great battle, little fella!", he said. Wincing from the slap, I gave a thumbs up.

"Keenan.", Wenru said. I looked up at him giving me that same serious expression.

"You've done well to defeat me today.", he said. I smiled even wider, but then he continued.

"But make no mistake. You still aren't ready.", he finished before walking off.


End file.
